Gas-burning system fob



E. W. VEST.

GAS BURNING SYSTEM FOR FURNACES, HEATING STOVES, RANGES, Kw.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 8, l9l8- 1,325,492, Patented Dec. 16,1919.

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GAS BURNING SYSTEM FOR FURNACES, HEATING STOVES, RANGES, 61c. APPLICATION FILED APR.8. 1918.

1,325,492. Patented Dec. 16,1919.

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E. W. VEST. GAS BURNING SYSTEM FOR FURNACES, HEATING STOVES, RANGES, m. APPLICATION FILED APR. 8, l9l8.

1,325,492. Patented Dec. 16,1919.

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GAS BURNING SYSTEM FOR FURNACES, HEATING STOVES, RANGES, 8w.

APPLICATION FILED APR. a. 1916.

1,325,492.- Patented Dec. 16, 1919.

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ya I EUGENE W. VEST, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

GAS-BE'RNING SYSTEM FOR FURNACES, HEATING-STOVES, RANGES, 860.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec.16, 1919.

Application filed April 8, 1918. Serial No. 227,245.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Eterxn V. VEST, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improve-- ments in Gas-Burning Systems for Furnaces, Heating-Stoves, Ranges, &c., of which the following is a specification containing a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to an improved gasburning system for furnaces, heating-stoves, ranges, hot-water heaters, and other heating apparatus of whatever nature; and it consists in the novel disclosure hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims found at the end of this specification.

. The object of my invention is to provide an improved gas-burning system which may be readily and economically applied to furnaces, heating-stoves. ranges, hot-water heaters, portable small room heaters, &c.,-

now in use burning coal or other fuel, as well as to new ones which may be hereafter manufactured; whereby such devices will be converted into gas-burning apparatus in the most economical manner, and which will thereafter produce the maximum of heat with the expenditure of a minimum quantity of gas.

A further object of my invention is to provide means which shall direct the hot expanded gases to the top. of the furnace, stove, range, or heater. andthereat retard them against too rapid exit into the usual additional expansion chambers, where radiation continues to absorb heat and radiate same; and this object isaccomplished in the most scientific manner by regulating the area of the exit opening (or passage) in accordance with the well known. formula of Prof. Pole for the flow of gases in pipes heated to any degree above 60 Fahrenheit, viz: 1/520 for every degree above 60 degrees, so that the said exit passage will be so restricted at all times as to permit very little My invention further consists in certain details of construction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described 1n connection with the drawings, in

. whichupper portion of the fire-chamber of the furnace, as indicated by arrows of the line 33 of Fig. 1, the top of the fire-chamber being removed.

Fig. 1 is a detail View of the united inner ends of the exit-tubes. and their valved-inlet end, as arranged to direct the hot expanded gases to the central top of thefire-chamber, and to retard said gases thereat for economical reasons, as well as for greater efficiency. Fig. 5 is a detail elevation of the edges of the superposed fire-clay slabs having peripheral baflies arranged in staggered relation, to intercept the rising heated gases .as they'are discharged by the burners'beneath them.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the base-segments of the burner construction.

Fig. 7 is a detail vertical section of a portion of a lighter-tube, with a lighting jet or tip applied thereto.

Fig. 8 is a sectional side-elevation of one form of my gas-valve and air-valve connections, as applied to the outer casing of a furnace or stove.

Fig. 9 is a front elevation of the gas-valve cam connected to the air-valve, and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows of Fig. 8. said arrows being designated by the numerals 9-9.

Fig. 10 is a cross-section through the airvalve, taken on line 1010 of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a vertical section of aportion of the outer casing of a furnace or stove, having one form of my burner-construction applied thereto.

Fig. 12 is a sectional plan-view of the topsegments of the burner covering, illustrating the staggered relation of said segments and the underlying base-segments of refractory material, the body of fire-clay biscuits being removed from said top-segments.

Fig. 13 is a sectional side-elevation of a stove having my invention applied thereto in a slightly modified form.

Fig; l l is a section through the body of said stove, on the horizontal line 1 l14 of Fig. 13.

Fig. 15 is a diagrammatic plan-view of the modified arrangement of the burners in a straight line, to adapt them for use in the fire-box of a range. a

Fig. 16 is a view of a portion of the lighter-tube, having a series of lighter-jets applied thereto, and illustrating the function of successive lighting of all the jets upon thelighting of an initial jet.

Fig. 17 shows a modification of my invention, as applied to a light portable bath-room heater, and which can be used as a heater for other purposes, and for cooking; and

Fig. 18 is a horizontal section through said room-heater, taken on the line 1818 of Fig. 17.

The numeral 1 designates the outer wall of the furnace, stove, or heater; there being an outer casing 2 inclosing, all the heating members of the apparatus in cases where my invention is applied to heating-furnaces and the like. (See Figs. 1 and 2.)

The said outer casing 2 of the furnace is provided with the usual fire-doors 3, ash-pit opening 4, and hot-air pipe-connections 5, all as found in the furnaces now in use.

The fire-box is greatly reduced in size by placing against the inner surface of the said wall 1 a circular lining 6 of fire-clay or other refractory material, which extends completely around said fire-box, as shown 1n Fig. 12. and reduces the diameter of the firebox considerably; but the diameter of same is still further reduced by a core 7 of highly refractory material, such as fire-brick or blocks, located centrally of said fire-box and supported upon a suitable foundation, which, in the present case is a cast-iron pedestal 8, which stands in the ash-pit 9, with its lower end resting upon a suitable base or foundation 10, or it may be directly supported by the earth or floor of the room or basement in which the furnace is located.

Said refractory lining 6 may be supported by angle-bars 11, fastened to and projecting See from the inner surface of said Wall 1. Figs. 1 and 11.

Said core 7 is made conical .at its upper end, and made to overhang the burners (hereinafter described), as well as to still further reduce the size of the fire-chamber or fire-box, by carrying upon its upper end 12, the outer peripheries of which are in--' clined in such a manner that said series of layers form an inverted cone-shaped body of refractory material increasing in size or radius toward its upper end, and greatly reducing the size of the space in the fire-chamber between the inclined outer edges of said layers and the said wall 1 of the furnace or stove, and (in operation) forcing the heated air outwardly against the wall of the firechamber.

To still further increase the efliciency, I place upon the said cone-shaped body of refactory material, (the layers 12) a series of superimposed fire-clay slabs 13, which are semicircular in plan-view, as shown in Fig. 3, and have integral peripheral bafiies 14 arranged in staggered relation, as shown in Fig. 5, and against which bafiles the rising heated gases impinge, and are thereby caused to part with an additional portion of heat, which is absorbed by the closely adjacent wall 1 of the furnace or stove.

Although I have shown the said slabs l3 and the layers 14 in the form of semicircular disks, it is to be understood that I do not limit their shape to the form in which they are here shown, it being obvious that they may be made in any other form which will reduce their size sufficiently to enable them to be readily placed in position in the furnace or stove.

Such a construction of a bathing-core, it, will be seen, fills a great part of the firechamber, and extends the said baflles so far upwardly that they are located near to the point in said chamber at which the expanded gases make their exit.

To cause the expanded gases to rise still higher in the fire-chamber and be brought into direct contact with the top 15 thereof, and to retard said gases thereat under such circumstances as economy dictates, I provide a damper 16 to control the exit opening;

' and in the present illustration of my invention such damper is pivotally mounted upon the common journals across the opening of the united inner ends of two exit-tubes 17 17, which extend radially from the central portion of said fire-chamber (at a point close to said top 15) to and through the wall 1, and have their outer ends connected to the usual vertical radiating-chambers 18, the lower ends of which latter are connected to the common radiating-chamber 19, having the usual smoke-pipe or chimney-pipe 20.

The inner ends of the said exit tubes 17, 17, are supported by a suitable horizontal rodor bar 21 extending across said fire-chamber and having its opposite ends fixed to the walls of said chamber, in any desired Workmanlike manner.

The said exit opening, controlled by the said damper l6, is'so restricted at all times for patents, of like date of filing, which is the date of filing the present application; one of said companion applications being entitled Gas-burner for furnaces, heatingstoves, ran es, and the like, Serial No. 227,2H, while the other companion case is entitled Valve for the gas burners of furnaces, stoves and ranges, Serial X0. 227 ,246.

The connections for controlling the abovedescribed damper 16 will be described in detail later on herein, when I reach the detailled description of the burner and gasva ve.

The burners, gas-calves, and their con-nectz'ons.

Any desired number of burners may be performed, and in the furnace shown in- Figs. 1 and 2 there are four pairs of burners, or eight burners in that furnace; while in the stove shown in Fig. 13 there is a smaller number of burners, and in the portable heater of Fig. 16 there is but one burner shown.

The vertical secondary-air pipe 22 surrounds the vertical discharge-pipe 23 of the primary-air and gas mixture, both pipes being united in a single casting, as shown more clearly in Fig. 11, and the upper end of said secondary-air pipe projects through an aperture 24 formed in its individual basesegment 25 of the burner construction, so that the mixture of gas and air from said discharge-pipe 23', as well as the secondary air from the said pipe 22, will be discharged upwardly into the lower portion of the firebox, and impinge upon the undersides of the refractory top-segments 26 of the burnercovering, which overlie said discharge pipes, and are spaced apart from same, and are supported by bricks or blocks 27 of fire-clay or other suitable refractory material placed under the opposite ends of said top-segments,- and themselves spaced apart to form beneath said top-segments a combustion space 28, whence the fire passes around the said bricks or blocks and around the said top-segments through suit-able passages 29 between the edges of adjacent ones of the said top-segments 26, and up against and through the interstices of a'layer or body of fire-clay biscuits 30 of well known form after which the rising hot gases strike against the overhanging parts of the previously described spreader cone of refractory material, to-wit: the conical layers 12 and the staggered bafiles 1 11: of the said layers 13, whereby the combustion is completed and the heat is applied in the most eflicient manner, as previously described.

The vertical discharge-pipes 22 and 23 are, as before stated, united as a casting, which is supported by a suitable-"means, which is (in the present case) in the form of a pedestal 31 the upper end of which is threaded-into said casting while its lower end is provided with a suitable base-casting 32 resting upon the floor or base of the furnace or stove, said floor having been previously designated by the numeral 10.

The said burner castings are preferably united as pairs, two sets of the said discharge-pipes 22 and 23 being united by lateral extensions 33 and 3-1, respectively, both of which are hollow. I The extension 33 has the inner end of its mixing-pipe 35 threaded into it, to supply a suitable gas-and-air mixture simultaneously to each dischargepipe 23 of the pair, while the other lateral extension 34 is in the form of a hollow forked dirt-receptacle, the

ner ends of clean-out pipe 36 threaded into them, the said clean-out pipe being extended to a point adjacent the outer casing 2 and provided thereat with a common detachable cap 37 accessible by way of a clean-out hole 38 cut in said outer casing and normally closed by a removable cover or slide 39, for an obvious purpose.

\Vhere the said clean-out pipes 36 pass through the wall of the ash-pit (or lower part of the stove or furnace) a tight joint is maintained thereat, to prevent air from the interior of the outer casing 2 from entering the ash-pit, by nipples 40 threaded into the apertures through which said clean-out pipes pass, and locked securely in position by means of lock-nuts 41. (See Fig. 11.)

The outer end of each of the said mixingpipes 35 is connected to a detachable gas: valve casting having an air-throat 42, the connection being made by means of a threaded coupling L3 into which the threaded ends of the mixing-pipe and its gas-valve casting are screwed and abut, the said'gasvalve casting being, of course, located upon the exterior of the furnace or stove, for convenience of manipulation during use.

An important feature of my gas-valve construction is the detachable (and therefore interchangeable) tip 44 the outer end of which is removably secured by screw-threads to the inner portion of the horizontal gasthroat 45 of the said gas-valve casting, whereby the gas man or other attendant may readily put on whatever size of tip he may think is most desirable for the service required; and also important is the further feature (shown in Fig. 8) of making the discharge-orifice 46 of the said tip so large that it cannot be completely closed by the end 47 of the gas-valve stem which co6perates with it, whereby the as-valve can be turned down but cannot e turned completely ofi", thus enabling the burner to operate when turned down to the limit upon a very small quantity of gas, without the trouble of relighting it every time it has been turned down.

The numeral 48 designates the gas supplypipe, which is arranged to supply all of the gas-valves of the series, the said gas-throat 45 of each gas-valve casting being connected detachably to the said supply-pipe by means of a common union 49 and shut-ofi cook 50, for obvious purposes.

A very quick opening and closing of the gas-valve is obtained by -means of a worm 51 on the gas-valve stem engaging corresponding threads upon the interior of a worm-bore formed in the stuffing-box member 52 of the gas-valve casting, a metallic washer 53 being located on the free end of said member, to receive the thrust of the stuffing-box gland 54 upon the packing 55.

Simultaneous regulation of both the entrance of the air to the air-throat 42 of the said gas-valve casting, and the supply of gas passing through'the discharge-orifice 46 into said mixing-pipe 35, is secured by a slide-valve 56 having its opposite edges mounted to move in dovetailed guides 57 across the entrance to said air-throat, and a suitable connection between said gas-valve stem, which will cause said slidevalve and said stem to move in unison; whereb the turning up or down of the gas will simultaneously regulate the air, to produce the Bunsen flame required for the most eflicient and economical operation.

In the present illustration of this part of my invention I have provided a cam 58, which is fixed upon the gas-valve stem at a point between the said stuffing-box gland 54 and the stem handle 59, the projecting lip 60 of said cam being embraced by a U-shaped bearing at the lower end of a vertical shank 61 on the lower edge of said slide-valve;

whereby when said gas-valve stem is rocked or rotated the said cam will cause a corresponding movement of said slide-valve, and more or less close or open the entrance to the said air-throat 42, the said slide-valve havmemes ing'(in the present instance) an opening or perforation 62 which registers with the entrance to the said air-throat when the said valve is moved to a position to uncover said entrance.

The said U-shaped bearing at the lower end of said valve shank 61 is designated by the numeral 63.

Furthermore, a simultaneous regulation of all of the gas-valves of a series, as well as the simultaneous regulation of all the slide: valves of the same series that may be applied to a furnace, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is readily obtained by pivotally connecting a coupling-rod 64 to each gas-valve handle 59 by means of a suitable pivot 65, which will cause all of said parts to move in unison, and -thereupon regulate the action of all burners that are so connected, by the movement of but one of the said gas-valve handles, if so desired.

Suitable movable stops 66 are secured to the said-lip 60 of said cam 58 by means of common screws or some similar fastening device, to come into contact with the said U- shaped bearing 63 .(or some common fixed object) when said cam is rotated or moved, and thereby limit the extreme movement of said cam in either direction, so that a greater or less quantity of gas can be used when the gas is turned on or turned down to the desired limit, and thereby form a measure for the least and greatest quantity of gas and air to be used.

Furthermore, a simultaneous regulation of I all the gas and air valves of the burner (or of one gas-valve and one air-valve of a burner) and the exit-damper 16 in the top of the fire-chamber of the furnace, stove, or range, (to prevent a too rapid exit of the hot expanded'gases at all times, no matter what the position of the gas-valve and the airvalve) may be produced by suitable connections with the said exit-damper and said gas and air valves, no matter whether the valves be moved by hand or by one of the well known thermostatic damper regulators now on the market. 7

One form of such an arrangement is herein shown at Fig. 1, While a slightly modified form of the same arrangement is shown in Fig. 13, both of which views exhibit a suitable rod or other connection 67 pivotally secured at 68 to the upper part of the airvalve 56, and extending up to the bell-crank 69 pivotally mounted at 70 upon a bracket 71 fixed to the front of the furnace or stove, and connected to the crank 72 of the said exit-damper by a horizontal rod 73.

Furthermore, in such cases as require still further economy and close regulation, the common damper 74 in the smoke-pipe 2.0 has its crank 75 connected to a short vertical rod 76, the upper end of which latter is pivoted at 77 to a crank 7 8 fixed upon the additional horizontal rod 7 9 extending across the top of the furnace casing 2 and mounted in suitable bearings 80 therein, and carrying another crank 81 on its front end pivoted at 82 to the extended upper end of the said rod 67; whereby the smoke-pipe damper, tho exit-damper in the top of the fire-chamber, the air-valve (or valves) and the gas-valve. will all be moved simultaneously, and accomplish the objects before recited.

A common reticulated cone, made of wire cloth or other suitable material, as desig nated by the numeral 83, is fixed in the said air-throat 42 of the gas-valve casting, to act as a strainer, and to prevent back firin in the usual or well known manner. Fig. 8.)

Common lighter-tubes 8st. are provided with the usual lighter-tips 85, and are connected to the service or gas-supply pipe 48, for lighting-the burners in the usual manner, some of the said tips 85'having a lateral tip 86 for communicating the flame to the next adjacent lighter-tip of the series, as shown in Fig. 15, each of said lightertubes being provided with a common cock 87 near the said service. pipe, for turning on and shutting oil the gas for said lighting devices;

As to the modifications herein noted.

I do not desire to limit myself to apparatus which use only the fuel commonly known as gas, but I may use any form of fuel, whether it be generated in a special gas-works and then be carried to the place of consumption in pipes, as the gas commonly done, or whether it be generated in the fire-box of the furnace, stove, or range; and therefore some portions of my invention, especially the spreader-core 7 and its parts which overhang the burners, may be readily used in coal-burning furnaces, stoves, ranges, and heaters, and be supplied with super-heated air in any known way, for the purpose of assisting in the combustion of the smoke and combustible gases, inasmuch as it is clear that such parts will perform their several functions in substantially the same way, no matter what fuel is used in the apparatus.

Similarly, in localities where there is no gas-works and no natural gas conveniently available, the burners shown herein may be supplanted by any suitable known form of oil-burner or burners, and the remaining devices will perform their-several functions in substantially the way they perform them when gas-works or natural gas is used.

.Referring to the stove modification, shown in Fig. 13, it will be seen that my invention may be applied to any common heating-stove now in use burning coal, and' the heater is provided with a common top or cover 88, which may be readily detached to permit cooking utensils being placed in position for action by the fire, the body of fire-clay biscuits 30 being extended to or near the upper end of the heater, and said biscuits resting .upon a disk of refractory material 89 having its marginal edge provided with a series of fingers 90 between which the firefrom the burners (or it may be a single burner) passes upwardly into and through the said biscuits.

The outer casing 1 of said heater being lined by a body of refractory material 6,

which extends the full height of said casing in the present illustration.

The underside of the said disk 89 is preferably formed in the shape of an inverted cone, for the obvious purpose of spreading the flames from the center outwardly toward the openings between said fingers 90.

The outer ends of said fingers 90 rest upon the suitable fire-clay or other refractory supports 27, which in turn rest upon the base 25 having a central aperture 2% through which the discharge-pipes 22 and 23 of the burner projects.

The heater is provided with the usual bail or handle 91, for convenience in carrying the heater from place to place.

The remaining parts of the heater need not be described, as their construction and use will be readily apparent when taken in connection with the description of the parts of the furnace and stove, previously given.

I do not limit myself to a spreader core 7 that is cylindrical, nor to the part-s which overhang the burner (or fire-bed) in circular form, as it is obvious that said core and said overhanging parts may be elongated in a horizontal plane, so as to fit a long and narrow fire-box or fire-chamber, or to fit a square or oblong one, in contradistinction to circular fire-boxes, the only essential being that said core and said overhanging parts retain the substantial T-shape in crosssection, no matter what sort of a fire-box they are located in the center of.

As shown in several views. the said lower portion of said core 7, as well as its pedestal or supportingdevice 8, are hollow or tubular; and as illustrated in Fig. 13 there is an air-entrance opening 92 formed in the base of said'pedestal and registering with an opening formed in the base of the ashboX or ash-pit, whereby cold air may enter said openings and pass upward through said pedestal and said hollow core 7 to a central opening 93 formed in the said layers 12 and 13 of the fire-clay slabs composing the overhanging portions of the spreader core, and from said central opening the air will pass (after being super-heated by the hot parts through which it passes) outwardly through radial channels 94 formed in said layers, and commingle with the hot gases for the more perfect combustion of the fuel.

The operation of my invention is simple, and will be clear to those skilled in the art, by reading the above description.

I claim the following as my invention:

1. In a furnace or heating stove, a spreader core located in the fire-chamber thereof and composed of a refractory lower portion, which has vertical sides; a conical portion above said lower vertical portion; and a series of slabs of refractory material superimposed above said conical portion and having at their edges staggered baflles against which the rising heated gases impinge.

2. A refractory core for the fire-chambers of furnaces, stoves and heaters, composed of a hollow lower portion, a suitable support therefor, means whereby air may enter said lower portion, superposed layers of slabs of refractory material placed upon the upper end of said lower portion and having air-passages communicating with the interior of said hollow lower portion and extending to the peripheries of said slabs, whereby the super-heated air will be discharged into the fire'at said peripheries, and staggered bafiies projecting from the peripheries of some of the said slabs, the slabs which carry said baflles being of sufficient horizontal dimensions to overhang the burners or fire-grates of the apparatus in which said refractory core is to be used.

3. In a stove or furnace, the combination of a series of burner base segments arranged in a circle, each of said segments having an neaaaea aperture through which the air and gas from a burner'may pass; a series of burner top-segments made of highly refractory material and arranged in a circle with a space between their adjacent edges; and blocks of refractory material which space said topsegments from said base-segments and act as a support for said top-segments, said blocks being themselves spaced apart to form beneath said top-segments a combustion space, whence the fire will pass around said blocks and up through' said spaces between the edges of said top-segments.

4. In a furnace or stove, the combination of a series of burner top segments made of refractory material and arranged in a circle with their edges separated to form a space between adjacent segments; a core of refractory material at the center of said circle of top-segments; and a body of fire-clay biscuits or the like supported by the said topsegments and arranged around said core.

I 5. In a furnace or stove, the combination of a series of burner base-segments arranged in a circle and having an aperture; and a series of burners arranged in a circle with their discharge-pipes in position to discharge air and gas through the apertures of said base-segments.

6. In a gas-burner for furnaces and stoves, a plurality of burner castings having vertical pipes for the air and gas arranged concentrically for each burner, and said plurality of castings being united by hollow extensions which form respectively the mixing-pipe connections and the hollow forked dirt-receptacles; mixing-pipes connected to said mixing-pipe connections; and clean-out pipes connected to the united outer ends of said dirt-receptacles and extended to a point adjacent the outer casing of the stove or furnace and thereat provided with common detachable caps.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EUGENE W. VEST. Witnesses:

FRANCES Hoovnn RosnNBAUM, JOHN C. HIeDoN. 

